Tejashwi pushes for early seat pact as Mahagathbandhan begins Bihar poll talks; VIP demands Dy CM post

Beyond seat-sharing, the Opposition alliance also deliberated on its core poll agenda and campaign strategy during Thursday’s meeting.

The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar has kicked off its seat-sharing negotiations ahead of the state Assembly elections, with key leaders of the Opposition alliance meeting in Patna on Thursday to chalk out an early strategy.

According to The Indian Express, representatives from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, CPI, CPI (Marxist), CPI(ML) Liberation, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) were present at the meeting, where it was decided that each party will prepare a list of potential candidates. These lists are to be based on the winnability of candidates and ground strength, with the RJD, the largest constituent in the alliance, reportedly advising partners to prioritise strong contenders before placing their seat demands.

The Congress, which has been seeking “quality seats,” has not yet finalised a specific number. As per The Indian Express, party insiders suggest the hesitation stems from a weakened presence in Bihar, the Congress won only 19 out of the 70 seats it contested in the 2020 Assembly elections. However, the party is said to be bolstering its claim this time by pointing to its 2024 Lok Sabha gains, where it won three seats in the state.

In an earlier interview with The Indian Express, Congress’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru stated that the party’s poll preparedness was in place and that seat-sharing discussions would be concluded well ahead of the election schedule.

Sources told The Indian Express that RJD leader and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav had already conveyed to the Congress leadership in April the need to avoid last-minute negotiations. The RJD reportedly believes that the alliance erred in allotting 70 seats to the Congress in 2020, citing its poor strike rate as a key factor in the Mahagathbandhan falling short despite the RJD emerging as the single-largest party.

The VIP, which contested 20 seats in 2020 as part of the NDA and won four, has now demanded over 40 seats from the Mahagathbandhan and is also seeking an assurance that its chief, Mukesh Sahani, be projected as the alliance’s Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate, sources told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the Left parties have jointly pitched for over 50 seats, a bulk of which are being sought by the CPI(ML) Liberation. The party is basing its demand on its impressive performance in 2020, winning 12 of the 16 seats it contested, and its recent gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where it secured two seats, as reported by The Indian Express.

Beyond seat-sharing, the Opposition alliance also deliberated on its core poll agenda and campaign strategy during Thursday’s meeting.

On the other side, the ruling NDA is yet to initiate formal seat-sharing talks. However, senior JD(U) leaders, including national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, ministers Bijendra Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and MLC Lallan Sharraf, also met on Thursday to begin preparations.

“We contested 115 seats last time. We have prepared a list of 122 seats, which include nine seats that the BJP currently holds,” a JD(U) leader told The Indian Express.

In the 2020 polls, the JD(U) had won 43 seats, while the BJP surged ahead with 74. The JD(U) later blamed the Lok Janshakti Party for damaging its prospects in several constituencies.